The £290m development of the A6 to Manchester Airport relief road is due to begin next month, after Stockport Council received confirmation of compulsory purchase powers from the Secretary of State for Transport.

The approval allows Stockport Council, on behalf of its partners Cheshire East and Manchester City Councils, to move the project to the construction phase which is being delivered by a joint venture between Morgan Sindall and Carillion.

The scheme will provide 10km of dual carriageway linking the A6 at Hazel Grove to the eastern end of the existing A555 at Woodford Road, Bramhall and from the western end of the existing A555 at Wilmslow Road, Handforth to Manchester Airport.

The aim is to ease congestion and assist the growth of Manchester Airport and Airport City as well as areas of Stockport, Manchester and Cheshire East.

According to Stockport Council, it is acquiring 152 plots of land from 143 landowners through the compulsory purchase, with a £15m lands allocations for the purchase of land and relocation costs. The majority of land is agricultural and there is one party considering relocation.

Environmental works could start before the end of February with the main contract works commencing in March 2015. The road should be open to traffic by autumn 2017.

Your Comments

As a (former) Wilmslow resident, this is great news. Removing through-traffic from the route between the M56 and Stockport will be good for town centre, making an environmental improvement and encouraging residents and shoppers to spend more time there.